Movable crest for dams.



G. F. STIOKNEY. MOVABLE onns'r ron mas. APPLIOATIbH FILED HOV 1 1910 Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

. INVENTOR 60 75,; 8

WITNESSES; M08

ATTY

UNITED s'r'ATEs: PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. STICKNEY, or ALBANY, NEW YORK.

MOVABLE CREST FOR DAMS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 1, 1910. Serial Nb. 590,169.

To all whom it may concern.-

I'le it known that I, Gnoaim F. STICKNEY, I sarily, plane surfaces.

PatentedApr. 11, 1911.

l The leaves are preferably though not neces- The upper leaf,- F,

a citizen of the United States of America, 1 is of greater area than the lower one. This residing at 28 Lancaster street, in the city of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Movable h'ests for Dams, of which the following is a specification.

My'invention relates to movable crests fordams, and the object-of my invention is to provide an automatic device for increasing the head at dams and the depth of navigable streams; for enlarging the capacity of storage reservoirs; for use as a regulating dcvice,.a waste gate, etc., together with such elements and combinations as are hereinafter more particularly described and claimed. I accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation, with parts in .section, of my invention when the crest is raised, Fig. 2 is an elevation, with parts insection, being the same view shown in Fig. 1., with the exception that the crest is lowered and the water is at flood.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The stationary substructure, A, may be built of masonry, timber or other suitable material and formsthe lower part of the dam. The movable portion or crest, B, is

attached by hinges, C, to suitable supports, D, raised above the base, A, so that the crest, B, may rotate about a horizontal axis through an angle of suflicient amplitude to raise and depress the crest. The upper part, E, of the base, A, is concave, the surface being curved to conform to the path of the outer edge of the crest, B. as it. rotates about its axis with just sufficient clearance for easy operation without permitting an excessive leakage of water between the two members. p y

The movable portion or crest, B, may be built of steel, timber or other suitable material and consists of two connected leaves, F and G, placed atan angle to each other, preferably, though not necessarily, of 90, joining horizontally at the axis of the hinges, (l, by which the crest is attached to the fixed portion, D, and the leaves are held rigidly in their proper position relative to each other, by ties, brac'es, etc.,H.

difference inarea may be secured by making the upper leaf wider than the lower leaf and keeping the length of the leaves equal, or the upper leaf may be made longer than the lower leaf, the-first arrangement being the preferable one.

The water, J, at the upstream side of the dam has free access to the two leaves of the crest, which latter is operated by this water pressure. The water pressures against the two leaves act in opposition to each other. As the depth of water above the leaves varies the intensity of pressure' varies and the forces tending to rotate the leaves .va'rics, making the upward or the downward rotating forces preponderate according to the level of the water surface above the dam. A counterweight, K, may be attached to the crest. B, so as tosupplemerit the downward rotating forces and make the crest more sensitive, thus causing it to fall at a lower stage of the water surface than if it depended upon the water pressure alone. The chains. L, attached to the leaf, F, and to the-base, A, or other suitable device, are provided to limit the upward rotation of the crest, B, and a pipe or roller, M, is provided between' the end of the leaf, G, of the crest and the concave surface. E, of the base. A, to prevent excessive leakage 'of water throughthe joint between the two members. The roller or pipe, M. is retained in position by means of the angle plattnP. attached to the leaf, G. permitting-the roller. M. to move freely between the surface of the'leaf, G, and the angle plate. P. and rotated also, in contact with the concave surface. E. of the base, A.

Tn the side walls. N. at theends of the ried awav by the flowing water and will.

equalize the air pressure on the two sides of the upper leaf. F. The fact that the water surface of a stream fluctuates considerably at different seasons of the year, depending upon the-volume of flow, makes necessary a movable dam in order to derive the greatest benefit from the stream. I.

Duringthe dry summer months when the flow is a minimum, the water .is at its lowest level and'may be down to the crest of the dam or even lower. During the wet months when the fiow is a maximum, the water pours over the dam several feet deep as shown by full lines in Fig. 2; the dotted lines in Fig. 2 showing the water of the height of the crest, and the height of the dam is limited by the necessity of keeping the high water level down to a stage that will not overflow the banks or cause damage. A fixed dam is necessarily lower than a movable dam forthe reasons stated above. High water occurs but a few times in a year and the flood periods are of comparatively .short duration. A low dam in time of flood changing to a high dam when the flood has passed is [an ideal structure for the water user as it' gives the maximum head and storage. My invention will effect these changes in the height of a dam, will raise the'low water level and will reduce thefluctuation of the water surface without increasing the flood height. WhatI claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device for increasing the head at dams, the combination of a stationary substructure; a movable crest, comprising two connectlng leaves placed at an angle to each other; a means for tying said leaves rigidly in position relative to each other; a means dams, the combination of a stationary sub.-

structure; a movable crest, comprising two connectlng leaves placed at an angle to each other; a means for tying said leaves rigidly in position relative to each other; a means for rotativelysup ort ng saldcrest above said stationary: su structure; a means for limitin the movement of said crest; a means placed 1n contact with said substructure and one of the leaves of the crest for decreasing the leakage between the leaf of the crest and the substructure; and a counterweight at-d tached to one of said leaves.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

7 GEORGE F. STICKNEY'Z Witnesses LOI'IIE P121012, BEULAH QAR'LE. 

